Winter honeysuckle

Happy New Year!

This posy includes the beautiful fragrance of winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima). At this time of year, it's lost its leaves and its small creamy flowers are displayed in pairs along its stem. This bush is often planted in public parks and winter gardens for its winter interest and fantastic scent and is great in a larger garden too.

Its common names include 'sweet breath of spring' and 'kiss me at the gate'. In the book The Great Gatsby there's mention of the pale gold odour of kiss-me-at-the-gate planted either side of the front entrance. As one of the most fragrant of our garden flowers, it's not a bad idea to plant it somewhere where you will enjoy it as you pass by!

As well as the hazel and birch catkins, this posy includes flowers hinting of Spring, such as tulips and ranunculus.

I hope you've hit the ground running this year. Perhaps you'd like to order a monthly posy to take you through 2023...